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Tehran’s Friday Mass Prayers Leader, Emami Kashani told worshippers today: “If the Islamic Society has shortcomings, they should be covered and not publicized and talked about.”

ISNA reports that the conservative cleric urged people to avoid talking about the faults of the system because according to his interpretation of certain Shiite principles, "it is our duty not to undermine the leaders of the country.”

Emami Kashani, a member of two important government bodies of the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council, maintained that “if we divulge our faults and the enemy realizes it, we have committed treason.”

He added that this is a principle that should be followed by every individual and group in the society.

The issue of censorship and freedom of speech is a controversial issue in Iran and internationally, human rights groups refer to Iran as the “prison of journalists.”

The comments of Emami Kashani come at a time when many Iranian authorities have denied the existence of censorship and media restrictions in Iran.

Last year Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying: “With regards to this government, individuals enjoy close to absolute freedom and say almost whatever they want.”